Double-Bird "Pelta" Palette, Naga el-Deir. Predynastic, Naqada
I to Naqada IIab period, c. 3900-3650 B.C. Siltstone, ostrich eggshell; 3
x 4 7/8 in. (6-4746) The small size and the presence of ostrich shell beads,
inlaid on one side only, suggest that this palette was worn as a pectoral.
Full-sized Egyptian palettes were used to grind coloring matter for adorning
the face, body, and other surfaces. The term pelta was applied to these palettes,
whose overall shapes resemble those of Amazonian shields known by the same
name.